Room temperature magnetic stabilization of buried cobalt nanoclusters within a ferromagnetic matrix studied by soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Hindmarch, A.T.; Dempsey, K.J.; Morgan, J.P.; Hickey, B.J.; Arena, D.A.; Marrows, C.H.

Abstract

Single dusting layers of size-selected Co nanoclusters (NCs) of sizes ranging from 1.5–5.5 nm have been deposited by a gas-phase aggregation method in ultrahigh vacuum, and embedded within a NiFe matrix. Magnetic hysteresis loops have been obtained using soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, which shows that these Co NCs embedded in NiFe exhibit room temperature ferromagnetism with identical coercivity to the surrounding NiFe film. The strong local exchange field at the interface between NiFe and Co NCs, combined with the magnetic anisotropy of the NiFe film, allows stabilization of NC ferromagnetism which persists to room temperature.

Citation

Hindmarch, A., Dempsey, K., Morgan, J., Hickey, B., Arena, D., & Marrows, C. (2008). Room temperature magnetic stabilization of buried cobalt nanoclusters within a ferromagnetic matrix studied by soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. Applied Physics Letters, 93(17), Article 172511. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3012368

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Oct 27, 2008
• Deposit Date: Jan 27, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 15, 2012
• Journal: Applied Physics Letters
• Print ISSN: 0003-6951
• Electronic ISSN: 1077-3118
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 93
• Issue: 17
• Article Number: 172511
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3012368
• Keywords: Cobalt, Coercive force, Ferromagnetic materials, Magnetic circular dichroism, Magnetic hysteresis, Nanostructured materials, Permalloy.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1512753